Lehigh senior guard C.J. McCollum continues to get his name on national watch lists.

He was the only Patriot League player named to the Wooden Award preseason top 50 and ESPN's All-America first team.

The John R. Wooden Award has been distributed since 1977, when UCLA's Marques Johnson captured it. Media members vote on a list of candidates established by the award's national advisory board toward the end of the season. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible for the preseason list, but can be added to the list as the season progresses and win the award.

The 37th annual Wooden Award ceremony will honor the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, which in 2013 will go to Kansas Head Coach Bill Self. The event is April 12-13, 2013.

McCollum is a two-time Patriot League Player of the Year and was recently named preseason player of the year for a third straight season.

Lehigh opens its season at 5 p.m. today at 19th-ranked Baylor.

The game will air on Fox Sports Southwest (Dish Channel 416 and DirecTV Channel 676). Listen in on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com.

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Morning Call Sports Reporters Stephen Miller and Tom Housenick blog about high school and college sports action on and off the field in and around the Lehigh Valley, only at themorningcall.com.

Meet the bloggers

TOM HOUSENICK watches every move Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum makes on the court, laughs at every joke by Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon and watches all the Divisions II and III coaches and players do it for the love of the game. Basketball makes the cold weather season go by fast. Already can’t wait for late February and early March when each possession could result in a season ending or continuing on.

Wrapping up his ninth year at The Morning Call, STEPHEN MILLER is back for year No. 4 on the LVC football beat. He chronicled Central Catholic's state-championship run in 2010, watched Nazareth win its first LVC title in 2011 and saw the league crown tri-champions for the first time in 2012. He has also covered the Phillies, college football and a variety of prep sports while with The Morning Call. To stay updated on the 2013 LVC football season, check out the Varsity blog and follow him on Twitter @mcall_smiller.